Crime gangs ' to blame for surge in bicycle thefts'

Organised criminal gangs are responsible for a surge in bike thefts from people's homes, police believe.

Organised criminal gangs are responsible for a surge in bike thefts from people's homes, police believe.

Cycles, often worth thousands of pounds, are being taken from sheds and back gardens in increasing numbers and appearing for sale on the

internet within hours.

The success of the Olympic cycling team in the summer had triggered an 'explosion' in the market for stolen bikes, Greater Manchester

Police sources say.

Although the rise has affected much of the region, south Manchester

suburbs such Chorlton, Didsbury and Fallowfield - where more people

ride bikes - have seen a particular increase.

Chorlton and Chorlton Park wards saw thefts from outside properties -

usually shed break-ins - increase by one-fifth between July and

September compared to the same period the previous year.

This came despite a fall in overall crime in these areas during the same period.

Following a police crackdown in south Manchester last year, bike

thieves have moved from targeting bikes left on the street outside

shops and bars to bikes kept outside people's houses.

Officers believe that gangs will send out members on scouting missions

to peer into back gardens and garden sheds - before thieves operating

in groups strike.

They break into often poorly secured sheds before using heavy-duty

bolt-cutters to free the bikes.

Dozens of bikes are then taken to store houses before quickly being

sold - often on websites such as Gumtree and Ebay, as well as in

second-hand shops up to 20 miles away.

GMP are now regularly monitoring such websites for suspicious selling

patterns of high value bikes.

The MEN reported in August how Olympic gold medal cyclist Philip

Hindes had had his £3,500 Pinarello Paris bike stolen from his home in

West Didsbury.

Police the surge shows the need for people to lock their bikes more

securely, as well as to security mark them and record serial numbers.

Paul Kinrade, Inspector from GMP's Didsbury Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:”After the success of Team GB in the Summer Olympics, cycling is more popular than ever and criminals are fully aware of this.“We don’t want to discourage people from getting out on their bikes, but what we do want is to make life harder for thieves by making it harder for them to sell bikes on.“By purchasing a stolen bike, not only are you fuelling the stolen goods market but handling stolen goods is an offence in itself. If you are approached by somebody in the street offering to sell you a bike or your child comes home with a bargain bike that seems too good to be true, report them to the police and help us put a stop to this kind of crime.”

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